obverse

American  

[ob-vurs, ob-vurs, ob-vurs] / ˈɒb vɜrs, ɒbˈvɜrs, ˈɒb vɜrs /

noun

1. the side of a coin, medal, flag, etc., that bears the principal design (opposed to reverse).

2. the front or principal surface of anything.

3. a counterpart.

4. Logic. a proposition obtained from another by obversion.

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adjective

1. facing the observer.

2. corresponding to something else as a counterpart.

3. having the base narrower than the top, as a leaf.

obverse British  

/ ˈɒbvɜːs /

adjective

1. facing or turned towards the observer

2. forming or serving as a counterpart

3. (of certain plant leaves) narrower at the base than at the top

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noun

1. a counterpart or complement

2. the side of a coin that bears the main design or device Compare reverse

3. logic a categorial proposition derived from another by replacing the original predicate by its negation and changing the proposition from affirmative to negative or vice versa, as no sum is correct from every sum is incorrect

Other Word Forms

• obversely adverb

Etymology

Origin of obverse

1650–60; < Latin obversus turned toward or against (past participle of obvertere ), equivalent to ob- ob- + vert ( ere ) to turn + -tus past participle suffix, with tt > s

Explanation

The obverse is the main, or primary, side of something that has two sides. The obverse of a quarter is the side with the handsome profile of George Washington on it. Obverse is very often used to mean "the front of a coin or medal," although you can also use it to describe the principal or more obvious side of anything with a front and a back. Confusingly, this word also means "the opposite," as in, "Your messy room is the obverse of your idea of yourself as a tidy person." The Latin root helps to explain this seeming conflict between meanings — obversus means both "directed toward" and "turned against."

Example Sentences

In October 2024, for the abolition quarter, the panel picked a Douglass image on the obverse, or front, and a reverse design showing a shackled hand and a fist breaking free.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 11, 2025

The coin also features an image of the late Queen Elizabeth II on its obverse side, and a UH-1H helicopter on the reverse.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

The painted ceramic, valued at $100,000, features a seated youthful warrior surrounded by figures with offerings on its obverse.

From New York Times • Nov. 17, 2021

In On Animals, a new collection of old essays, veteran journalist Susan Orlean is almost the obverse of wonder-seeking naturalists like David Attenborough.

From Scientific American • Oct. 31, 2021

He examined the coin, looking first at the eagle side, then at the face of Liberty on the obverse.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman